• Not even Rupert Murdoch's closest admirer (R Murdoch) would deny that the old boy loves to be on the winning side. Pro-commie in Beijing, capitalist in New York, populist in London (and Edinburgh), he is at Narendra Modi's side as the Hindu nationalist BJP leader cruises towards victory in India's protracted general election. Not literally, but in publishing Brit Andy Marino's admiring ("I found him to be very good company") biography of Modi, handily out this month under HarperCollins imprint.

• As a "London-based author and film-maker" with an Indian business visa whose CV details are vague, Marino's access to the clever but scary Modi puzzles the Delhi press corps. In the days when he still nursed big hopes in China, Rupert paid party chairman Deng Xiaoping's daughter Deng Rong $1m for her "stunningly awful" biography of dad who is not (contrary to online rumour) related to Rupe's ex-wife. Marino predicts pro-market Modi will end India's "colonial-style ruling elite" – just how Rupe sees his own mission.

• Airmiles Andy, aka the Duke of York, graced the Society of Editors' local journalism conference at a swish Midlands hotel this week. Andy's chopper arrived from Sunningdale at noon in time for a quick panel discussion, lunch seated next to a fair companion, and a few stories. Airborne again by 2pm. "My fate was sealed when my father introduced me to helicopters in the garden of Buckingham Palace when I was very young," the ex-pilot explained.

• Hardly surprising that the Telegraph and its star columnist, Stormin' Norman Tebbit, are still gunning for Maria "Zoopla" Miller. It's the Ukip line and Norman has long been a fellow traveller. Intriguingly, the paper's tax-shy co-owners, Dave and Fred Barclay, have provided other practical support. Fred helped Nigel Farage pay for back surgery after his 2010 plane crash, and last Thursday hosted the Ukip leader's 50th (he's only 50?) birthday bash at the Barclay-owned Ritz.

• Thoughtful political insight from rock legend and musical polymath Jack Bruce, late of Cream. He confides to Classic Rock magazine: "We are all still Thatcher's children, suffering. She had nice ankles, though."

• The Guardian may still be anathema to spooks at GCHQ, and someone has just anchored a houseboat called "Enigma, Bletchley Park" on the canal below the editor's window. But Haringey Tories in north London seem to admire the paper. Ahead of the May local elections their flier ("Betting shops – a Haringey blight") has a masthead that could be mistaken for the Guardian's. In a Labour-dominated borough that may be no coincidence. Copyright anyone?

• Biting satirist Ian Hislop would mock puffs to big up BBC2's latest history-lite offering, a three-parter on the "power of the past" over all our lives. But Private Eye's Eng Lit graduate editor might make an exception for "Ian Hislop's Olden Days". It starts on Wednesday night at … But no, I'm not going to tell you.

• George Osborne promises to get tough at the IMF's spring meeting in Washington this week because he thinks the UK economy's spurt proves IMF critics of austerity wrong. But is that wise? Gordon Brown did the same in 2007 after the IMF's Rodrigo Ratto cast doubt on the public finances shortly before they imploded. In any case Osborne has taken the IMF's advice to boost capital spending and his "savers budget" actually told oldies to "spend, spend, spend" to keep his boom alive.

• The curse of fallen RBS banker Not-Sir-Fred Goodwin falls on Maria Miller, who (according to a Diary item in 2012) was known as "glove puppet" in her student politics days at the LSE. Miller's PR adviser Mary Macleod, who tried (and failed) to protect her on the TV circuit this week, has worked for RBS, which paid her up to £800 a day, and Buck House. Only last week Miller was duty cabinet minister touring key marginals like Stroud, being photographed with election candidates. Will those snaps ever grace a leaflet?